Safety hat



lime 16, 1942. 5, w CATALANIE r 2,286,843,

I SAFETY HAT Filed April 26', 1940 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 William J. shavbavgh 10 BY ,Edwaid v. 2,522

Afr RNEX Patented June 16, 1942 1 SAFETY HAT Bartholomew W. Catalane, Buffalo, .N.VY., and

Edward V. Karabin, Wilkinsburg, and William J. Sharbaugh, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignorsto Mine Safety Appliances Company, Pittsburgh,

Application April 26, 1940, Serial No. 331,706 8 Claims. I (om-s This invention relates to an improvement in a safety hat or helmet used by miners, con-. struction workers, firemen and others who require a protective helmet to withstand shocks from falling objects, and, more particularly, to an improvement in a comfort lining and an arrangement thereof adaptable to the general construction of this type of hat.

Previously, linings have been placed in hats of the type contemplated, but they were so constructed and arranged that the linings had to be permanently connected to the hat, and in many cases required a special construction which is not adaptable to the variations occurring in the construction of this general type of safety hat.

It is desired to provide in an all weather safety hat, which usually contains ventilating openings in a rigid crown, a removable comfort lining which may be positioned between the inner surface of the shell and the cradle or shock absorbing means, which is generally rigidly connected to the shell, or it may be positioned without change of any of the elements of the hat directly onto the head of a wearer and supported by the hat. This alternative positioning of the lining makes the hat itself more adaptable for universal use and to meet all Weather conditions, and it is among the objects of this invention to provide a comfort lining and a support arrangement thereof which is completely removable and which can be disposed readily into the hat so as to be placed either between the shock absorbing means or cradle and the inner surface of the shell or directly onto the head in order to accommodate the comfort of the wearer.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a hat comfort lining which is inexpensive to manufacture and adaptable for use in many variations of construction of the type of hat contemplated and which can be assembled readily and which is of such a construction that it does not interfere with the head engaging portions of the hat and which is supported by the hat.

It is a'more specific object of this invention to provide a comfort lining which is composed of two separable portions, one being the crown portion constructed to be positioned on either side of the cradle and which is adaptable in either position to support the other portion or lower depending ear covering in proper position relative to the headband of the hat and to do so without interfering with the desired disposition of the crown portion.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the specification and the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a hat of the type contemplated and taken along the line l-l of Fig. 2 and illustrating an embodiment of a comfort lining and positioned inside of the cradle so as to be in a position to directly engage the head when the hat is placed in a protective position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 and taken along the line 22 of'Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view. in elevation illustrating the'construction of the crown portion of the comfort lining illustrated inFigures 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the same embodiment.

Figs 5 is a sectional .view similar to Fig. 1 and illustrating the crown portion of the lining positioned between the cradle and the shell.

. For the purpose of illustration, our invention is described in connection with a particular kind of. a safety hat or helmet but included within the general type contemplated and which generally comprises a shell I of metal or of plastic reinforced material having a crown portion 2 and an integrally connected brim 3, a shock absorbing means or cradle 4 and a headband 9. Many types of cradles are available, but for the purpose of this description, it is illustrated as being made of fiber strips 5, each of which are connected to a lower portion of the crown by a cord 1 that is Woven through the shell (Fig. 2) to provide suitable loops threaded through the fabric strips to fasten them tightly but yieldably to the inner surface of the shell surface. These strips from the point of engagement with the shell extend upwardly into the crown and are connected by a draw member 8 which provides a means of adjustment of the composite cradle assembly to make it more suitable for variations occurring in head shape or size. Also connected to the lower portion of the crown 2 is the headband 9 which is fastened to the crown 2 by means of the cord 1 and in a-fashion This headi The strips Ha are interconnected with the fabric strips of the cradle so that strips Ila and 5 are attached to the shell by the same loop of the cord 1 as illustrated in Fig. 2. In View of the fact that the hat is to be suitable for all weather conditions, ventilating openings l5 are provided in the upper part of the crown 2.

In providing a comfort or winter lining for this general type of hat to meet the all weather requirements, it is desirable in some instances that the crown fitting portion Hla of the lining be placed between the shell and the cradle as illustrated in Fig. 5 in order to close off the ventilating openings, and in cases of extreme cold, it is desirable that the same crown portion of the lining be placed directly on the head as illustrated in Fig. 1 in order to accomplish the dual purpose of closing off the openings and to gain some warmth from the lining by direct engagement. Furthermore, it is desirable that the lining be of such a nature that it can be readily removed from the hat or inserted conveniently when its use is found necessary or desirable.

The crown portion Illa. is to be made of a suitable material such as a fabric and it is preferred that it should have a sufficient length so that when it is used in the manner as illustrated in Fig. 1, the portion will extend downwardly sufficiently to pass into the U-shape of the headband as illustrated in Fig. 1 and by which the lining completely seals off the head to provide more comfort. In any case, the material should not extend so as to interfere with the head size of the hat defined by the engageable portion of the headband as would occur should it extend too far between the upstanding parts 9a and H of the headband assembly. Placing of the crown portion on the outside of the cradle need not be so restricted, but the limits as established by placing on the inside of the cradle are suitable when placed on the outside of the cradle. It is desirable to supply a portion lb of the lining it] which is lower relative to the crown portion in order to protect the neck and ears of the wearer, and it is a feature of this invention to provide a complete lining which is removable and disposable in either of the alternative positions and is adaptable in either position to support this lower lining lllb in a proper protective position.

In the embodiment illustrated, the crown portion Illa carries strips of fabric I2 which are placed around the crown portion in such a manner that they can suitably support the lowerportion, and without interfering with the crown fitting properties of the portion. I have found that by properly positioning three fabric strips as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 that the lower lining can be suitably supported although it may be necessary to employ a resilient strip 20 in the forepart of the lower portion Hib to engage the forehead of the wearer and support the front portion. However, another strip could be provided such as those employed for the side and rear. The chin strap 22 is connected to the shell by means of the cord 7 and passes outside of the lower portion lb, and this, in conjunction with the supports and by shaping the back side of the portion liib, as by cutting the back side higher than the lateral sides in order to eliminate folds, makes the covering fit snugly to the person.

In order to make a construction and arrangement adaptable for either position of use, it is preferred that the strips l2 be attached to the crown portion Illa in such a position in a vertical direction on the portion that the attached end l2a of the strips is positioned above the top extent of the headband when the crown portion is placed in a wearing position inside of the cradle as illustrated in Fig. 1. In other words, the point of attachment should not be much below the upward extent of the headband when the hat is worn. The strips 12 must be of such a nature that they pass between the fabric strips making up the cradle or shock absorbing means as between space 2| defined by the strips 5 or the lower separated portions of a composite cradle 5. Also, the strips must be thin enough to pass between the shell and the headband in the spaces 2 i. In some cases, it may be desirable to form the cradle so that the upper portion is made of a single unit of material, and in such a case the lower part of the cradle must be formed so as to provide separable elements between which the fabric strips l2 may pass in order to dispose the button fasteners 13 so that they can engage the components which are to be placed onto the lower portion 18b. For practical purposes, these button fasteners should be disposed just below the lower edge of the headband in order that they can be readily applied to the lower portion. With the fasteners I3 in proper supporting position, they engage components onto the lower portion I01), and it is preferred that the components (not shown) be fixed onto the covering so that the upper edge of the portion Hib is positioned above or laps over the lower extremity of the headband and thus better seal off the inside of the lining from the atmosphere.

Should it be desirable to place the crown portion iOa between the cradle and the shell, Fig. 5, it can be passed through the openings provided in the cradle between the strips 5 and disposed so as to cover and be supported by the cradle, and the strips I2 are then passed through the spaces 2| between the headband and the shell to support the lower lining. When positioned, as illustrated, in Fig. 1, the strips by passing above the extent of the headband into the spaces 2| between the headband and shell and between the strips 5 of the cradle 4, retain the cradle portion Illa inside the hat when not being worn, and this is a distinct advantage in our construction While the strips I2 are illustrated as being attached integrally to the crown portion, they can be demountably attached to both coverings, as by the use of button fasteners, or integrally attached to and carried by the lower or supplemental covering Ifib rather than by the crown portion Illa.

The important advantage of this invention is that it provides increased adaptability of a comfort lining to the many requirements existing for the type of hat contemplated. The fact that the lining is readily removable is highly important because of the fact that its presence is highly objectionable when not required. Furthermore, it is quite desirable to have a lining which in addition to being readily removable is disposable in the alternative positions, as heretofore described, which is adaptable to support properly a depending lining to protect the lower parts of the head and the ears and to be adaptable to be supported by elements of the hat.

Many modifications can be made of the con struction which is described and is considered to be a preferred embodiment of our invention, and it is not intended that this detailed description be considered as a limitation of our invention,

nor is it intended that the invention be restricted except by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In combination with a safety head helmet having a rigid crown and a head engaging band supported in spaced relation to an inner surface of the crown to support the helmet on the head and a head cradle attached to the helmet and positioned within the crown between the headband and the inner surface of the crown to additionally support the helmet in spaced relation to the head, of a removable inner fabric head covering disposable in a wearing position on either side of the cradle when the helmet is in assembled condition, depending fabric members attached to the inner covering, each of the members having an engageable means adaptable to support a covering below the helmet and from between the headband and the crown and the depending members and their attachment to the inner covering being arranged to accommodate wearing of the head covering on either side of the cradle while properly supporting the lower covering in proper wearing position.

2. In combination with a rigid safety hat having a rigid crown portion and a head engaging band supported in spaced relation to an inner surface of the crown and a shock absorbing means engageable with the head and attached to the safety hat to support in spaced relation the crown portion from the head and with spaces provided between its elements, of an inner removable fabric head covering insertable in the hat in a wearing position on either side of the shock absorbing means when the hat is in an assembled condition comprising a crown covering portion, depending members integrally attached thereto and on the outside thereof, each of the depending members being passable between the headband and the crown portion and between elements of the shock absorbing means and extending a predetermined amount to support a covering below the head engaging band, each of the members having an engageable means at its lower extremity and each of the members being positioned on the covering in a vertical direction of the crown covering so that the covering can be placed either directly on the head or between the elements of the shock absorbing means and the inner surface of the crown and accommodate the assembly of headband and shock absorbing means to the hat to dispose the engageable means to properly position and support the lower covering.

3. In combination with a rigid safety helmet having a head engaging band supported in spaced relation to an inner surface of the helmet and a head cradle of separated elements at its lower extremity and each of the elements being attached to the safety helmet, of a removable head covering insertable in the hat in a wearing position when the hat is in an assembled condition comprising a fabric covering containing a crown portion and a separable lower portion, depending members integrally attached to the crown portion and on the outside thereof and extending below the crown portion, each of the members having engageable means at its end and passable between the headband and the inner surface of the helmet and intermediate its supports and between the elements of the cradle to support the separable portion therefrom, the separable lower portion having engageable means operative with the engageable means of each of the depending members and the depending members being arranged onto the crown portion in a vertical direction'so that the members accommodate the head band and cradle whether the head covering is disposed inside or outside of the cradle and are disposed in a proper supporting position for the lower separable portion.

4. In a safety helmet including a rigid crown portion, a head engageable cradle within the crown portion and connected to the helmet, a head engaging band supported from the lower section of the crown portion and in spaced relation thereto and comprising a supplemental intimately disposable and removable fabric crown covering insertable into the helmet in a wearing position on either side of the cradle while the helmet is in an assembled condition, narrow depending strip members positioned in spaced relation around and extending below the covering and each having an end attached to the upper portion thereof and passable between the headband and the inner surface of the helmet, each member carrying an engageable means at its lower extremity to support a covering below the crown covering, and the depending members being so positioned vertically of the covering in attachment on the covering to be above the upper extent of the headband when the crown covering is in either wearing position that the disposition of the depending strip members between the headband and the helmet is unaffected materially by disposing the crown covering directly on the head or between the cradle and the helmet.

5. A safety helmet comprising a rigid crown portion, a head engageable cradle having separated elements in its lower portion and connected to the inner surface of the helmet and extending upwardly within the crown portion, a head en gaging band supported from the helmet and in spaced relation inwardly thereto and to the connection of thecradle elements to the helmet and characterized by a supplemental and intimately disposable removable fabric head covering insertable into the hat in wearing position when the hat is in an assembled condition, depending narrow fabric strip members positioned in spaced relation around and extending below the covering to adequately support a separable covering extending below the helmet and to be supported therefrom, each member being attached to the upper portion of the fabric covering and above the upper limit of the headband when the covering is in wearing position and passable between the headband and the inside surface of the helmet and intermediate its supports and be tween the separated elements of the cradle, each member carrying an engageable means at its lower extremity, and the depending members being of such length to dispose the engageable means at its end in a suitable supporting position for the lower separable covering and to accommodate the headband and cradle in assembled condition whether the upper portion covering is placed directly on and in contact with the head or between the cradle and the helmet.

6. A safety helmet comprising a rigid crown portion, a shock absorbing means having spaced means connected to the crown portion and extending upwardly into the crown to provide a head engaging portion, a head engaging band supported from the crown portion and in spaced relation thereto and to the connections of the spaced means of the shock absorbing means to the crown portion, and characterized by an inner removable fabric head covering disposable between the inner surface of the crown, portion,

and the shock absorbing means or directly onto the head when the hat is in assembled condition and extending in a downward direction when disposed on the head only sufliciently to cover the crown of the head and without interfering to any material extent with the engagement of the headband with the head, depending fabric fiat strip members attached to the outside of the fabric covering and above the upward extent of the headband and extending below the head covering, each of the members beingpositioned in horizontally spaced relation around the covering and passable between the headband and the helmet and between the connections of the spaced means of the shock absorbing means to the crown portion, an engageable means at the end of each depending member, and each depending member having a length to support a lower covering from its ends and in a predetermined relation to the headband and being attached to the head covering so as to be above the upper extent of the headband when the head covering is placed between the crown of the helmet and the cradle or inwardly of the cradle and directly on the head.

7. A safety helmet comprising a rigid crown portion, a shock absorbing means having spaced means connected to the crown portion and extending upwardly into the crown to provide a head engaging portion, a head engaging band supported from the crown portion and in spaced relation thereto and to the connections of the spaced means of the shock absorbing means to the crown portion, a chin strap connected to the shell, and characterized by an inner removable fabric head covering disposable between the inner surface of the crown portion and the shock absorbing means or directly onto the head and extending in a downward direction when disposed on the head only sufficiently to cover the crown ofthe head and without interfering to any material extent with the engagement of the headband with the head, depending fabric fiat strip members attached to the outside of the fabric covering and above the upward extent of J the headband, each of the members being positioned in horizontally spaced relation at the back and lateral sides and passable between the headband and the helmet and between the connections of the spaced means of the shock absorbing means to the crown portion, an engageable means near the end of each depending member, a lower covering disposable Within the chin strap means integral with the covering and engageable with the engageable means of the head covering to support the lower covering, and a resillent supplemental support means integral with the forepart of the lower covering and engageabl'e with the head, each depending member having a length to support a lower covering from its ends and in a predetermined relation to the headband when: the head covering is placed between the crown of the helmet and the cradle or inwardly of the cradle and directly on the head.

8. A safety helmet having a rigid crown portion and a head engaging band supported in spaced relation to an inner surface of the helmet and ahead cradle of spaced elements attached to and positioned within the safety helmet between the headband and the inner surface of the crown portion of the helmet to sup port the crown portion in spaced relation from the head, and comprising a removable inner head covering within the helmet adaptable to be positioned directly on the head or between the inher surface of the crown portion of the helmet and the elements of the cradle while the headband and cradle are in assembled condition, depending members attached to the inner covering and passing between the crown portion of the helmet and the headband and having an engageable means at each of their lower extremities for supporting a covering below the helmet and the depending members being arranged and attached to the inner head covering to accommodate the assembly of the headband to the inner surface of the helmet when the head covering is disposed in either position and so as to be engageable properly with means of the covering below the helmet.

BARTHOLOIVIEW W. CATALANE EDWARD V. KARABIN. WILLIAM J. SHARBAUGH. 

